Kalanchoe blossfeldiana cultivar KJ 98-073.
The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Kalanchoe plant, botanically known as Kalanchoe blossfeldiana, and hereinafter referred to by the name xe2x80x98KJ 98-073xe2x80x99.
The new Kalanchoe is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Hinnerup, Denmark. The objective of the breeding program was to create new freely-flowering Kalanchoe cultivars with compact plant habit, small leaves, numerous flowers, and excellent postproduction longevity.
The new Kalanchoe originated from a cross-pollination made in Hinnerup, Denmark, of an unidentified proprietary Kalanchoe seedling, not patented, as the female, or seed, parent with the Kalanchoe cultivar Katharina, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 11,822, as the male, or pollen, parent. The new Kalanchoe was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a single flowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross-pollination grown in a controlled environment in Hinnerup, Denmark.
Asexual reproduction of the new Kalanchoe by terminal cuttings taken at Hinnerup, Denmark, by the Inventor, has shown that the unique features of this new Kalanchoe are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.
The cultivar KJ 98-073 has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature, daylength and light intensity, without, however, any variance in genotype.
The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of xe2x80x98KJ 98-073xe2x80x99. These characteristics in combination distinguish xe2x80x98KJ 98-073xe2x80x99 as a new and distinct cultivar:
1. Upright and compact plant habit.
2. Dark green-colored leaves.
3. Light orange-colored flowers.
4. Excellent postproduction longevity.
Plants of the new Kalanchoe are most similar to plants of the parent cultivars and differ primarily from plants of the parent cultivars in flower color.